3 ms·

I've tried in the past, but I wonder: how do you know if you've successfully meditated or not?

jrochkind1 7y ago
So in the kind of meditating he's talking about, you sit there focusing on your breath. When you notice your thoughts doing something else, you non-judgementally bring them back to your breath. That's it. If you're doing it, you're succesfully meditating. It doesn't matter how often your thoughts go somewhere else, or for how long before you notice. No matter, if when you notice you focus on the breath, you're doing it successfully. Really, that's the whole thing. If you're just starting out, you might find some introduction guidance helpful, either from an online video or app (there are many, OP mentions a couple), or from someone in person (If there's a Shambala temple in your area, they probably have intro to meditation sessions; there are other options).
- jrochkind1 7y ago
  (It can be "hard" to do because it can be an uncomfortable or "boring" thing to do, that you don't really want to do. But if you just do it anyway, it's "easy", it doesn't take any skill, anybody can do it, you just have to do it. It is sort of a kind of exersize for your mind, like going to the gym for your mind. You are practicing: a) noticing what your mind is doing, self-reflection in the moment; and b) directing your attention).
laurieg 7y ago
Compare it to going for a walk. How do you know if you've gone for a walk successfully? Did you walk a mile or ten? Did you walk slowly or quickly? Did you stumble or stride firmly? Whatever happened, you went for walk. Meditation is just as simple. Sit and focus on your breath. That's really all there is too it.
wool_gather 7y ago
I agree with the other responses you've got, but to make this point explicit: each meditation session is an exercise. Any definition of "success" has to be in the long term. If you're having a rough day, sitting calmly and breathing is going to help in the moment, of course. But the ongoing practice and its spillover into awareness in daily life is the goal. And, like learning any new skill, you can't necessarily see that development day-to-day, just in retrospect over months. I also posted this the other day, about "failing" at the exercise: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675811 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675811
cryptozeus 7y ago
Act itself is a success because like many healthy activities you don’t get the results right away. Do it for 2 weeks and you will see the results.
palimpsests 7y ago
Approaching meditation as a goal to be completed according to some measurable standard is orthogonal to many traditions of meditation. There are techniques, such as observing your breath, thoughts, emotions, and/or somatic sensations. Depending on a multitude of factors, our capacity to maintain this level of observation and awareness will vary. Another part of the technique is, when you notice that you've strayed from your point of observation, is to meta-notice that noticing, and gently return to the foci of observation. If you never do that, you still haven't failed. There is no failure, and there is no success -- the path is the goal. Other techniques simply invite you to sit or lay in a comfortable position (e.g. be careful of attempting to fit your body into one of the classical meditation poses, it's more important to find something that you are truly comfortable being in for 15 - 60 minutes at a time), and "do nothing" at all, to simply Be. This is perhaps one of the most somatically oriented forms. No technique is the highest form of technique. After all, when you haven't had any thoughts for some period of time, can you remember that specific period? How would you actually know? Other than perhaps remembering when it vaguely began, and when that period ended by the re-emergence of mental content?

So in the kind of meditating he's talking about, you sit there focusing on your breath. When you notice your thoughts doing something else, you non-judgementally bring them back to your breath. That's it. If you're doing it, you're succesfully meditating. It doesn't matter how often your thoughts go somewhere else, or for how long before you notice. No matter, if when you notice you focus on the breath, you're doing it successfully. Really, that's the whole thing. If you're just starting out, you might find some introduction guidance helpful, either from an online video or app (there are many, OP mentions a couple), or from someone in person (If there's a Shambala temple in your area, they probably have intro to meditation sessions; there are other options).

jrochkind1 7y ago
(It can be "hard" to do because it can be an uncomfortable or "boring" thing to do, that you don't really want to do. But if you just do it anyway, it's "easy", it doesn't take any skill, anybody can do it, you just have to do it. It is sort of a kind of exersize for your mind, like going to the gym for your mind. You are practicing: a) noticing what your mind is doing, self-reflection in the moment; and b) directing your attention).

laurieg 7y ago

Compare it to going for a walk. How do you know if you've gone for a walk successfully? Did you walk a mile or ten? Did you walk slowly or quickly? Did you stumble or stride firmly? Whatever happened, you went for walk. Meditation is just as simple. Sit and focus on your breath. That's really all there is too it.

wool_gather 7y ago

I agree with the other responses you've got, but to make this point explicit: each meditation session is an exercise. Any definition of "success" has to be in the long term. If you're having a rough day, sitting calmly and breathing is going to help in the moment, of course. But the ongoing practice and its spillover into awareness in daily life is the goal. And, like learning any new skill, you can't necessarily see that development day-to-day, just in retrospect over months. I also posted this the other day, about "failing" at the exercise: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675811 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675811

cryptozeus 7y ago

Act itself is a success because like many healthy activities you don’t get the results right away. Do it for 2 weeks and you will see the results.

palimpsests 7y ago

Approaching meditation as a goal to be completed according to some measurable standard is orthogonal to many traditions of meditation. There are techniques, such as observing your breath, thoughts, emotions, and/or somatic sensations. Depending on a multitude of factors, our capacity to maintain this level of observation and awareness will vary. Another part of the technique is, when you notice that you've strayed from your point of observation, is to meta-notice that noticing, and gently return to the foci of observation. If you never do that, you still haven't failed. There is no failure, and there is no success -- the path is the goal. Other techniques simply invite you to sit or lay in a comfortable position (e.g. be careful of attempting to fit your body into one of the classical meditation poses, it's more important to find something that you are truly comfortable being in for 15 - 60 minutes at a time), and "do nothing" at all, to simply Be. This is perhaps one of the most somatically oriented forms. No technique is the highest form of technique. After all, when you haven't had any thoughts for some period of time, can you remember that specific period? How would you actually know? Other than perhaps remembering when it vaguely began, and when that period ended by the re-emergence of mental content?